Hernand Behn was born February 19, 1880, in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands. He and his family became United States citizens in 1917, when the U.S. acquired the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $30 million. With his brother, he co-founded Puerto Rico Telephone Company, then ITT.
Educated in Corsica and Paris, he was of French, Danish, English and Dutch ancestry.
Behn and his brother, Sosthenes, built the Dos Hermanos Bridge (Spanish: Puente Dos Hermanos, English: Two Brothers Bridge), in San Juan. The bridge links the districts of Condado and Old San Juan.
With his brother, he co-founded ITT Inc. in 1920, leading the company as its first president, having grown its assets to over $500 million. Sosthenes was a second vice-president, later becoming the company chairman, following Hernand's death in 1933,
He died October 7, 1933, of "alimentary disorders" in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France.
See also
- Telecommunications in Puerto Rico